Vehicle brake-operating means



May 7, 1929' E. M. scHAUMAN 1,711,695

VEHICLE BRAKE OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 14, -1925 4 Sheets--Shee l l yj 5 15 Wd\, 3 3y f4 ,23 13 NVHHIW WM t I iii' L" N A' V 1 g l INVENTORMay 7, 1929 B. M.'sci-iAu/IANA 1,711,695

VEHICLE BRAKE OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 14, 192s 4 sheets-sheet 2 MATTORNEY May 7, 1929 B. 4M. SCHAUMAN l 1,711,695

VEHICLE BRAKE OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 14, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR MJ ATTORNEY May 7, 1929. B. M. scHAUMAN 1,711,695

VEHICLE BRAKE OPERATING MEANS Filed Aug. 14, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR M ATTORNE o r m) Patented May 7, 1929.

siren STATES hlli PATENT GFFICE.

EROE, IMAX SCHAULIAN, OF'NE'W YORK, N. Y., ASSGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO AUTOMATIC CAR STOP CORPORATILON, A COREORATION GFDELAWARE.

VEHICLE BRAKE-GPERATING MEANS.

Application filed August A14, 1928.A Serial No. 129,123.

This invention relates to vehicle brake operating means, and has for itsprimary object to provide a relatively simple and positively actingmechanism .tor instantaneously applying the brakes ot the vehicle incases of emergency.

lt is another object of the invention to provide electrically actuatedmeans tor controlling the operation of said brake applying mechanism,the circuit of which may be closed -either through a suitable pushbutton or other switch or automatically in case or collision.

Briefly stated, the invention in its essential features includesrelatively movable mehr bers, one of which is' connected with the handbrake applying lever and the other ot which is suitably connected withthe ybrake together with spring means connecting said members and alatch device tor holding said members against relative movement 'and theaction of said spring means whereby they may be operated as a unit fromthe hand lever under normal conditions. A solenoid, or other electricalmeans is operated upon closing a suitable switch to actuate said latchdevice, thereby releasing the spring means and effecting the applicationoitthe brakes independently of the hand lever. may also provide suitablemeans tor simultaneously breaking the! ignition circuit oi the engineoit the motor vehicle.

`With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists inthel improved brake operating means 'for motor vehicles, and in theform, construction and relative arrangement et' its several parts aswill be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoinedclaims.

in the drawings, wherein l have disclosed several simple and practicalembodiments of the invention, and in which similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts thrmighoutthe several views,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form o1 my invention, certain parts beingomitted and others shown in section, the normal condition t-hereoilbeing illustrated in full lines, and the relative positions of the partsafter the brakes are applied being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyon the line 2-2 of ztail perspective View showing the connection betweencertain parts of the mechanism and the hand brake lever;

Fig. et is a side elevation out the chassis of a motor vehicle having'my invention applied thereto 5 Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional viewtaken `substantially on the line 5-5 of F ig. '2;

Fig. 6 is a detail section ot the bump-er mounting illi'istrating anautomatic circuit closing means for the 'latch operating solcnoid;

` F 7 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit closing means and alsoshowing means for breaking the ignition circuit of the motor; l f

Fig. 8 is aplan view showing the connecting means between the brakerodand the hand lever partly in section;

Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged side elevations showing the relativepositions ol' the parts before and after the brakes are applied;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a slightly -modilied embodiment orP theinvention;

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view -thereoic taken substantially onthe line 12-12 ot' Fig. 13, and

Fig. 13 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line13-13 of Fig. 12.

Referring now more particularly to Figs.

V1 to 10 inclusive ot' the drawings, 4my'device as therein shown isadapted to be arranged in a general horizontal plane beneath the chassisof the motor vehicle. In Fig. 4 or the drawings, I have illustrated moreor less diagraniinatic such a vehicle chassis 5 and the manuallyoperable brake lever 6. The rear wheels oi the vehicle are provided withany usual type of friction brake, one of which is indicated at 7 and isoperatively connected by any suitable means with the lever 6. As hereinshown this operating means for the wheel brakes includes a rod 8 to theforward en d ot which the forked member 9 is suitably connected. Thus,this member may be provided with an internally threaded tubularextension with a rib l5 having a longitudinal bore loosely receiving thebrake connecting rod 8. rlhe upper' and lower walls oi: the casing areprovided upon their inner faces with the guide ways 16 in. which bars 17are slidably engaged, said bars extending outwardly through one end otthe casing and being rigidly iixed to the member 18 which is providedwith spaced arms 19 between which the. ineinber 9 is positioned, saidarms at their extremities being pivotally connected with the arm 11 otthe brake lever by means ot the pin l2.

The other or inner ends ot the bars 17 are rigidly lined to a head 20positioned between the same. l'iaininated leaf springs 21 are pivotallyattached at one o'lf their ends to the head 2() as shown at while theother ends of said springs are pivotally attached to one end oil" thecasing 111 as shown at 3.

Each oi the bars 17 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 2lithrough which the transverse pin or axis mounted in opposite side wallsot the casing let eX- tends. On this pin, and between the bars 17 theperipherally corrugated or toothed wheel 26 is loosely engaged.

Between the ends of the bars 17 which project externally ot the casing14s a pair et levers 27 are pivoted on tlfe transverse pin 28. Theselevers at their other or inner ends are integrally or otherwiseconnected by a bar 29 having' a curved portion extending around thetoothed disc or wheel 2G and a straight end portion projectingtransversely between the bars 17 beyond one side thereof and terminatingin an oii'set tooth or lug 30. `With this lug a latch lever 31 isadapted to engage, said lever icing pivotally nfiounted between thebracket arms 32 lined to one wall of the casing 14; and yieldingly heldin engagement with the tooth by means ot a suitable spring shown at 33.This lever projects into the housing extension 34S: on one side of thecasing 141- in opposed relation to the core ot a solenoid 35 containedin said housing. ln the latched position et the bar 29, the tooth or lip30 on the end ot said bar engages in a notch or recess 31 in the pivotedend of lever 31, thereby effectively preventing longitudinal sluitingmovement oit the casing 1411 under the action oi the springs 21. At theopposite side ot' the wheel or disc 2G the connecting member 29 betweenlevers 27 is provided with spaced ears 36 in which the pin 37 is fixed,said pin being seated in` one ot the notches or recesses oit the wheel2G and. having its axial center positioned out ot alignment with theaxial center ot the whee 26 and the longitudinal center line of the bars17. A suitable spring 3S is engaged with the levers 27 adjacent theirpivoted ends and normally urges said levers and the part 29 to thepositions shown in :full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings wherein theterminal tooth 8O of the part 29 is engaged by the latch member 31. lnsuch norn'ial position ot the parts, the casing `1st and the bars 17 areheld against relative movement with the leal springs 21 bowed tosubstantially semi-circular form as shown in ,tull lines in thedrawings, one end of the easing 1st being in abutting Contact with theend et sleeve 10 on the member 9. lt will thus be apparent that when thehand brake lever 6 is actuated, the several parts will be moved as aunit with the rod 8 to apply or release the brakes in the ordinaryoperation ot the vehicle.

The solenoid 35 is included' in a suitable circuit hereafter reterredto, and when this circuit is closed and the solenoid energized, theprojection oi the solenoid cere causes the latch member 31 to beactuated as will be seen troni reference to Fig. 5 ot the drawings, thusreleasing the bar 29 and levers 27. Since the bars 17 have a relativelylixed connection with the hand lever 6, the casing 111- will be movedlongitudinally with respect to said bars by the expansion ol thespringsy 21 to substantially the position shown in dotted lines in llig.1 ot' the drawings. Obviously, in this relative sliding movement ot thecasing 14, the operating rod connection 8 with the wheel brakes is drawnforwardly, said rod being' moved relative to the hand lever 6 by reasonoit the slotted connection 9 loetween said rod and the arm 11 of thelever, as will be noted from a comparison ot Figs. Figs. 9 and 10 et thedrawings. Also, in this movement ot the casing, the wheel or disc 26bearing against the pin 37 is rotated,and the levers 27 an d bar 29 arepivotally moved against the action of spring 38 to substantially thedotted line positions as slliown in the drawing. Thus, the wheel brakeswill be instantaneously applied to bring the vehicle to a stop.

.ln order to release the brakes, the lever is lirst moved in thedirection tor applying the brakes so that the bars 17 will be drawn outtrom the end ot' the casing 111 to again put the springs 21 undertension and reengage the toothed end otI bar 29 with the latch member31. It will be understood that in this relative movement between thecasing 111 and bars 17, the pin 37 is maintained in bearing engagementwith the toothed wheel or disc 26 by the spring 88. Upon then returningthe brake lever 6 to its normal position, the bars 17 and casing 14 movetogether as a unit in a rearward direction, thereby permitting thebrakes to expand to released position.

In certain makes ot motor vehicles where there may not be sutlicientspace within which to horizontally position the casing 111, l may employthe modified construction illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13 ot the drawingswherein the casing 14 is positioned in a vertical plane and contains asingle spring 21 connected with said casing and the bars 17 connectedwith the manually operable brake lever. lhe

construction `and arrangement of the other parts of the device in thisalternative form thereof is the same as thatkabove described, and saiddevice operates in a similar manner.

The solenoid may be wired in the storage battery circuit of the vehicleanda suitable Aemergency switch provided to close the circuit andenergize said solenoid. However, in the accompanying drawings,1 haveshown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, a means for automaticallyclosing the circuit in the event of a collision to effect theapplication of the brakes, and toalso simultaneously break the theignition circuit of the motor vehicle engine.` As illustrated, thebumper 39 is mounted at its opposite ends in the hollow guide brackets40, said brackets housing the coil springs 4l surrounding` the rods 42on the ends of the bumper which are slidably 4engaged in said brackets.These springs normally urge the bumper forwardly to its normal positionand upon impact against the bumper, the rods 42 cooperate with suitablecircuit closers 43 to close a circuit through the battery indicatedat-44, in whichV circuit the solenoid 35 is connected byY therconductors shown at 45 in F 7 of the drawings. Thus, this-solenoid willbe energized and its core projected to move the latch lever 3l toreleased position as above described whereby the vehicle wheel brakesare applied.

l'n the ignition circuit of the motor stationary and movable switchcontacts 46 and 47 respectively, are interposed, said movable contactbeing carried by the pivoted lever 48 with which a suitable spring 49coacts .to normally held the contact 47 in engagement with contact 46and .maintain ,a closed circuit. An electromagnet 50-v is connected inthe circuitof battery 44so, that when said circuit is closedto energizethe solenoid upon impact against the bumper 39, the electromagnet 50 isalso energized :to attract the arn'lature lon one end of lever 48 andthereby move said lever to disengage .the `contact 47 from the contact46, thus breaking the ignitioncircuit. As shown in F ig. lof thedrawings, as an alternative for this circuit breaking switch, Imayprovide the contact strips 52 and 53 respectively, fixed to casing 14and the bars 17 and properly insulated therefrom and connected with theopposite sides of the ignition circuit by suitableconductors. Normally,these two Contact strips are engaged as shown in the .drawings tomaintain the circuit closed, and in the movement of the casing` 14relative to bars 17 when the brakes are applied, saidstrips will bediz-.fengageth to thus break the ignition circuit, 1

Frein the foregoing description considered in connection with theaccompanying draw'- ings, it will be seen that I have devised arelatively simple mechanism which maybe readily applied to various typesof motor vehicles nowk in general use without necessitating any materialalterations therein, and which, in cases ofv emergency will operate in apositive and reliable manner to apply the brakes independently of theusual manually operable brake lever. At the same time, thisautomatically acting mechanism does not in any way interfere with theusual normal oper- 'ation of the brakes by the manipulation ofsaidlever. Also, it will be noted that this mechanism as a wholeconsists of relatively rfew parts which are of simple construction sothat it can be produced at comparatively low manufacturing cost.

l/Tilliile I have herein shown and described several desirableandfpract-ical embodiments of the invention it is to ybe understood thatthe essential features thereof might also be incorporated in variousother alternative mechanical structures, and l accordingly .re-

serve the privilege of resorting to all such` legitimate changes thereinas may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the inventionasclaimed. f

l claim: l. ln combination with brake operating meansv including amanually operable lever, emergency means for applying the brakeincluding relatively movable members each con-v nected with a part ofthe'ibrake operating means, one of saidmembers consisting of a casingpartially enclosing the other member, springmeans within said casingoperatively `connected thereto and to the enclosed member to move one ofsaid members relative to the other and actuate the brake operatingmeansindependently of 4said lever to apply the brake, and a releasable latchdevice normally holding said members against relative move# ment underthe action .of said spring means and for movement as a unit whentliebrake operating means is actuated by said lever.

2. In combination Vith brake operating means including a manuallyoperable lever, emergency. means for applying they brake includingrelatively movable members each connectediwith a part of the brake.operating means, one of said members consisting of a casing partiallyenclosing the other member, Vspring lmeans within said casingoperatively connectedthereto and to the enclosed member to move one ofsaid members relative to the other and actuate the brakeoperating meansindependently of said lever to apply the brake, a releasable latchdevice normallyV holding said members against relativel movement underthe action of said spring means and for movement as a unit when vthebrake operating means is actuated by said lever, said latch deviceincludinO' a rotatably supported pinion on one of said members, anelement pivotally mounted on the other member and carrying a pin havingmeans yieldingly coacting with said element to hold the pin in enl 13ogagement with the teeth of said pinion, and

CII

a pivoted latch lever carried by said lirst named member to coact withsaid element and normally hold the same against pivotal movement.

'3. In combination with brake operating means including a manuallyoperable lever, emergency means for applying the brake includingrelatively movable members each connected with a part of the brakeoperating means, one oi said members consisting oi' a casing partiallyenclosing the other member, spring means Within said casing operativelyconnected thereto and to the enclosed member to move one of said membersrelative to the other and'actuate the brake operating meansindependently of said lever to apply the brake, a releasable latch deviee normally holding saidmen'ibers against relative movement under theaction ol said spring means and for movement as a unit when the brakeoperating means is actuated by said lever, said latch device including arotatably supported pinion on one of said members, an element pivotallymounted on the other member and carrying a pin having means yieldinglycoacting lwith said element to hold the pin in engagement with the teethof said pinion, a pivoted latch lever carried by said iirst named memberto coact with said clement and normally hold the same against pivotalmovement, anda solenoid having its core opposed to one end of the latchlever to actuate the latter.

l. In combination with bral-:e operating means including a manuallyoperable lever, en'iergency means '1Cor applying the brake including amember directly connected With 'said lever, a casing in which saidmember is slidably mounted, connecting means between said casing and apart of the brake operatmeans connect-ed with said lever 'for movementrelative thereto, spring means housed within the casing connected withsaid casing and said member to move the casing relative to said memberand actuate the brake operating means independently ot said lever toapply the brake, and electrically controlled means releasably connectingsaid casing and the member With each other for movement as a unit whenthe brake operating means is actuated by said lever.

5. In combination with a motor vehicle having brake operating meansincluding a manually (')perz'ible lever, eniergency means 'for applyingthe brake including a member directly connected with said lever, acasing in which said member is slidably mounted, connecting meansbetween said casing and a part of the brake operating means connectedwith said lever lor movement relative thereto,

spring means vhoused within the casing connected With said casing andsaid member to move the casing relative to said member and actuate thebrake operating means independently of said lever'to apply the brake,electrically controlled means releasably connecting said casing and themember with each other for movement as a unit when the brake operatingmeans is actuated by said lever, a circuit for said electrical controlmeans, a circuit closer actuated by a collision `inni/)act receivingpart oif the vehicle to close said circuit, a switch interposed in themotor ignition circuit of thev vehicle, and means energized upon theclosing ot said first named circuit to open said switch and brealf; theignition eircuit.

G. In combination with bralre operating means including a manuallyoperable lever, emergency means tor applying the brake includingrelatively movable members each connected with a part of the brakeoperating means, one ot said members consisting of a casing )artiallyenclosing the other member', springmeans within casing operativelyconnected thereto and to the enclosed member to move one et said membersrelative to the other and act-nate the brake operating meansindependently oi said lever to apply the brake, a rotatable part carriedby one of said members, a pvioted elementon the other member havingmeans engaging said part at one side ot its axis, and a piv'oted latchlever carried by said first named member to coact with said element andnormally hold the same against pivotal movement.

"7. In combination with brake operating means incluoing a manuallyoperable lever, emergency means lor applying the brake includingrelatively movable members each. connected with a part of the brakeoperating means, one of said members consisting oi' a casing partiallyenclosing the other member,

spring means within said casing operatively connected thereto and to theenclosed member to move one ol said members relative to the other andactuate the brake operating means independently of said lever to applythe brake, a rotatable part carried by one of said members, a pivotedelement on the other member having means engaging said part at one sideoic its aXis,-a pivoted latch lever carried by said first named memberto coact with said element and normally hold the same against pivotalmovement, and a solenoid having its core opposed to one end of the latchlever to actuate the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name hereto.

BROR MAX SCI-IA'Uli/AN.

